Linda and Ella - Week 21

Well our last report .This time next Sunday it will be all over bar the shouting .This has been an interesting experience; in a way nothing extraordinary as people break-in and train unhandled horses all over the world every week of the year.On the other hand tho it has been an awesome journey for me , and I guess also for VBA Ella .When I was chosen as a late trainer selection I was confidant I could do a good job, but wanted to try a few different training methods . Easier said than done .I found working mostly alone very challenging , and many times started to doubt my ability to give this little mare the best opportunity.Ella was very protective of her personal space and I took her extremely slow which was a great lesson for me , making me just step back and be with her rather than having an agenda . Which was a bit of a contradiction- I had picked up my Brumby 2 weeks later than the majority of other trainers , now here I was just sitting on a stump in the yard with Ella doing nothing !!!!I also found keeping the training sessions short seemed to work best, tho I spend a lot of time just being there doing nothing .Week by week we slowly built a connection , got some groundwork happening , tried and discarded new feeds, ( lucerne was all she enjoyed) and I found oaten chaff , rolled barley upset her stomach.I have never had a horse learn so quickly , I found if I gave her clear cues she usually picked things up by the second session . So by going slow she was learning fast .I used a combination of methods - at first it was just advance and retreat, getting her used to me cleaning her yard , moving buckets, stepping towards her HQ and retreating when she looked around to me etc . For a bit of an experiment I also started playing with clicker training as well . I'd place a bit of lucurne under the ball or on the drum so she got a treat , and a click when she was inquisitive and found them.Rain and slippery ground kept me from riding as much as I might have. In hind sight that may have been good . My old belief was that you need lotsa wet saddle blankets to make a horse ---- now I'd probably say Quality over Quantity.I found the Brumby quite different to a domestic horse in lots of ways - need to get close to and build a relationship with the Brumby : the average domestic horse is already in your space by the time they are weaned . I found Ella took months to not be on high alert, & even bite at most strangers- Brums seem to be a bit one person ?While Ella has absolutely no malice, kick or buck she will not be bullied or pushed around . We had one time we both got a bit emotional over float loading and she made it very clear that we both needed to take a chill pill .At first I set out to expose her to a bit of a variety , eg stock work , jumping, trails, kid type antics , in prep for her new life after Equitana , but as time went on I became more and more attached to her and decided to take the Trainer Purchase option . Why ? Lots of small reasons I guess , she's been a real fun ( tho tough enough) pony to work with , she's a trier, she learns quick , and a real surprise to me is that she rides like a big horse. At 13.2hh she actually feels more like 15hh and girths up almost the same as my 15hh QH.I think we will have lots of fun together in the future.Are we as prepped for Eq as we would like ? No , but we have done what we could . We have had fun , done a few clinics, had some help from some good trainers , met lots of great people, had emotional and practical support from friends, family and strangers.I am so appreciative VBA gave me the opportunity to have this experience, & so pleased I got to draw VBA Ella the little Bogong Brumby ; it's been fun , soul searching, challenging , rewarding , emotional, and satisfying .See you all next week at Equitana :)